2019 Residency Artists

Meet this year’s Mskomini Giizis Residency artists!


 

ARIA EVANS is a Toronto-based award-winning interdisciplinary artist working in dance creation, performance, and film. She draws on her experiences as a woman of mixed race (Mi’kmaq / Black / settler heritage) to capture meaningful social and cultural themes through her interactive art. Collaboration is the departure point to the work that she creates through her company Political Movement. She was co-Artistic Director of hub14 from 2013-2018, and presented her work in both North America and Europe. She has toured with Theatre New Brunswick, Kaha:wi Dance Theatre, created work commissioned by IPAA, participated and performed in works by Tapestry Opera – Michelle Olson, Lara Kramer, Sylvain Emard, Kaeja d’Dance, Michael Greyeyes, Yvette Nolan, Penny Couchie, Julia Sasso, Peggy Baker, The Banff Centre, A Tribe Called Red, Susan Lee, Constance Cooke, Expect Theatre, and many more. Aria has sat on Canada Council and Dora Award juries, and been an Invited Guest Contributor to the 20th anniversary Canadian Arts Summit. To learn more, visit www.ariaevans.ca

WAAWAATE FOBISTER is an actor, dancer, playwright, choreographer, and a producer. He received two Dora awards for Outstanding Performance and Play for Agokwe, and many nominations, including Ontario Premiers’ Award, K.M. Hunter Award, Sterling Award – Edmonton. He trained and studied at Humber College, Banff Centre for the Arts, Toronto Dance Theatre, Centre for Indigenous Theatre, and Kaha:wi Dance Theatre. He recently performed at Lilies; Or, The Revival of the Romantic Drama (lemonTree creations/Buddies in Bad Times/Why Not Theatre). Waawaate mans Northern Lights, and he is a proud Anishinaabe from Grassy Narrows First Nation.

As part of Native Earth’s 2019/20 Season, Waawaate will be showcasing his new multi-disciplinary work Omaagomaan and performing in Christine Friday’s Maggie & Me in April 2020.

CHRISTOPHER MEJAKI is Ojibway / Odawa from the Wikwemikong Unceded Indian territory on Manitoulin Island, ON. He is a graduate of the National Theatre School of Canada’s Acting Program (2018) and the Centre for Indigenous Theatre (2015). His most recent credits include: OKOTOKS (Justin Many Fingers/Making Treaty 7), Vimy (James MacDonald/Western Canada Theatre), Ioskeha and Tawiscara: The Great Creation Game (Pierre Paul Savoie/The First Peoples Festival). Christopher is a grass, hoop, and fancy dancer, enjoys playing hockey (Go Leafs Go!), and is interested in exploring playwrighting.